NEW YORK—The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and the New
York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) recently announced a joint effort to
accelerate new treatments for
a multitude of indications through the drug
discovery process. The U.S. National Institutes of Health estimate that
currently, only one of every 10,000 compounds discovered in research is
approved for clinical use,
and it takes an average of 14 years and $1.2 billion
before treatments are available to patients. The collaboration will accelerate
work at both
organizations' labs in which stem cells are being utilized to
recreate diseased cells, which are then used to screen new drugs for
effectiveness.

"This latest agreement strengthens already existing ties
between NYSCF and HSCI to move promising research more quickly from
bench to
clinic," said Susan L. Solomon, CEO of NYSCF.